Beauty Within
by Sophia Marmalade Smith
Summary: The fall, the betrayal, and perhaps also the gun wound was all a bit too much for Hannibal. How could he possibly survive this? And what if he does? What if Will does? What will he say? What will he do? Hannibal will have to run, and he can only hope Will will run with him. XXX HANNIGRAM? Maybe. Just maybe.
1. Chapter 1

A wave of electricity ran through my heart, pain exhilarating my body. It all became completely overwhelming, the betrayal, the gun wound, and the fall. Hands gripped tightly to me, and I couldn't help but wonder if he regretted his decision on the murder/suicide. How could he do this to me? I thought he was my friend. Was I not clear on my feelings for him? Or does he simply just don't care. Perhaps he acted on just a moments thought. Perhaps he was just afraid of wanting this. This world I wanted for him. Perhaps he was afraid of himself, and his own reactions to me. I could feel him holding on so tight. Was it because he needed me? Did he realize he loved me too and felt regret for what he had just done? Or was he just afraid of his own mortality and needed to be held. Either way, I can't help myself. I tighten my embrace, and nuzzle my nose into his dark curly hair. I am not sure if we will make it, and judging by the cruel raging water, and our already wounded bodies and blood loss, it didn't look good. I just wanted to comfort him. I wanted him to not be afraid anymore. If I had a knife, I could have ended him there, and saved him the pain of the landing; and if that didn't kill him on impact, then I would have saved him from the pain of drowning. But it was just a dream. He would die along with me. Slow and painful from the anticipation.

I could feel the water close now. He cries into my neck, his grip becomes tighter. I bend my head down, doing my best to position myself to take most of the impact. Perhaps he didn't have to die. Maybe I could save him. And there it was. It hit me like a million slaps to my back. My thoughts empty, and my body still as we floated down into the darkness of the water. I had lost a few seconds, the beating of my heart taking a rest, and I lost my breath for a moment. Head and back now aching, I urged myself to stay awake. I couldn't open my eyes however. I would have been killed instantly, if I hadn't hit the water just right; my head ducked into my chest, my back getting most of the impact. My chest quivered, and I forced myself to open my eyes as I began to lose the world around me. I felt William, still in my arms, clinching on for dear life. Was he doing it to comfort me, or because he himself was still so afraid? Did he have enough air? I hadn't noticed if he had taken a breath when we hit. I begin to swim up, forcing my legs to work as the cold water numbed my body.

I needed air. I was almost gone. I could see the light of the moon glistening above the water, but it was still so far. Then I felt hands on either side of my face, pulling me in close, and our lips touched. I breathed him in and the pain in my chest ceased just a little. I wrapped my arms around him and continued to swim up, the water doing it's best to push us around. We were nearly there, William kicking his legs with mine. I could feel him losing control. I was in no better condition, and I gripped his waist, then pushed him higher. I fell deeper into the water and he floated to the surface where he burst from the water and took in a deep breath. I could hear him, muffled as i was, yelling my name, and I watch him as my world became black.  
I thought it was the end of me, and to tell you the truth, I didn't mind. I was quite fond of myself, but I was more fond of William. More curious I became of him, but I had no more in me. Then, I was just able to feel arms wrapping around me, pulling me up, and soon enough, the wind blew kisses on my face. I shivered but still couldn't come too.

Something hard hit my chest, and I coughed, spitting up water. I opened my eyes, now sore and weary, and I found William, his hand in a fist, his other holding me up. My throat burned, my lungs heaving heavily. I grabbed his hand and turned towards the shore. It was rather far, but together, I knew we could make it. So we swam against the angry sea, as tired and cold as we both were, refusing to give up. I finally saw the shore line, and turned to look at Will, who had fallen far behind. He shivered, moving rather slow, his eyes strained, and his full lips, usually a luscious pink as they are, were now blue, his teeth chattering hard. I swam to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, and helped him to swim. He was reluctant at first, then was glad of it, though he tried to keep it discrete.  
When we reached the shore, I dragged him out of the water and we fell together into the sand. I turned to my side, and stared at him. William stayed on his stomach, and turned his face to me, his face, even pale as it was from the cold, was becoming pink from embarrassment. I knew, he needed his alone time to think, so I urged myself to stand and I began to walk away. I listened for him, urging silently for him to fallow, and for several minutes, I was let down. However, soon enough, I heard him get to his feet, and he walked to me. I turned to face him and he stopped just a foot away. He looked terribly uncomfortable, and I brought a hand up, but my knees gave out and I collapsed. William, being who he was, a little too caring, attempting to catch me, but I brought him down with. So there we were, on our knees, staring at each other. It was so cold.

He looked at me and smiled sheepishly. "What a day right." he stated.  
I couldn't help but to laugh. I sat back on my rear and chuckled to myself. Will took in a deep breath and sat next to me, and he looked up at the starry night. I on the other hand set my eyes on his face. Remembering each curve, reading his expression. His hair stuck to his skin, blue eyes glistened gray under the star light. His eyes were always so beautiful, changing from blues to greens, thought naturally being like the Labradorite stones, blue with brown patches. I jumped as he began to speak "Makes you feel quite small doesn't it?" he said softly.

"I looked up upon the burning balls of gas, bursting through the universe, hazardous, but beautiful, filling the night sky. The sky was open and clear that night. "May I ask you something?" I asked him.

"I suppose." was his replay, but it was clear he was unsure./p

"What would be more unsettling to you? Having others out there, or being completely alone?"

I could see him from the corner of my eye, turning to face me with a look of query. I in return looked at him in wonder, curious at what he was thinking. Did he understand the question?

"Being completely alone." he finally said after a long pause. "What do you think?"

"I think. . . "I began as I looked back up, "That you are right."

"William shivered and I turned my attention back to him.

"What do you suppose we should do then?" he asked me.

"What would you like to do?" I asked him.

"Well, I would like a shower and a change of cloths."

"Well, Will. We can walk back, you can shower and change, and I will be on my way."

"On your way? Where?" he looked at me with more concern than curiousness. Or perhaps that is what I wanted to see.

"I am not sure yet. I know I can not stay though."

"Yeah." he laughed, which surprised me a bit.

"What is so funny?" I asked him quizzically.

"I think we need to take off as soon as we can."

"We?" I asked him, my heart fluttering.

He forced himself to smile and looked away from me. "Yeah. One, I don't think my mental stability is in strong enough condition for 'society standards'. And two, I just don't think I will be able to get away with this one."

"You could. Just say the word and I will turn myself in. Blame everything on me."

"Will looked at me dumbfounded. "What?"

"I will stay, if you want me to. You can go back to your normal life. Before I came in and ruined it."

William smiled and shook his head. "I wish I understood you."

"I love you. What is there to understand?"

"That's true. Come on." William stood, then reached a hand for me. "I am fucking freezing. Let's hurry up before we die f cold and exhaustion."

I took his hand and said "So we are in this together then?"

"Yeah. I don't see why not. I mean after we all have been through together, we might as well. I've changed too much to go back and pretend I haven't. And by together I don't mean in a relationship. Just together. Friends."

"I am sorry for that."

"Me to." He began to walk and I fallowed him.

"So, all of the world to see. Where would you like to go?"

"I can choose?" asked William with a smile and raised brow.

"Of course. It is the least I can do."

"Well, where haven't you gone?"

"I have gone to a great many places, but I still have not been to many."

"How about Peru."

"Now that would be nice. Peru I hear is a wonderful place. All the better since neither of us has been. It will be an adventure for both of us."

"Sounds good." said William, and much to my surprise, he took my by the waist as we walked, and leaned into me. He shivered as we walked, and he kept his eyes ahead, a stern look on his face. I in return wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer.

"I am sorry. I really am still confused about who I am and what I want. But the thought of you being alone makes me sad for some reason, so for now, I think we should stick together."

I processed this for a minute then smiled down at him, though he could not see. "There is no other place I would like to be than by your side."

"Shut up." he said , his face turning a little red. "You're so corny."

"Corny is good."

"Corny is corny."

I laughed and held him a little tighter as we trudge along, our bodies numb, cold and wet, but I had our future to keep me going, and I hoped he thought the same.  
"Murder Husbands?"

There was a long pause as we walked, and our walking became slower for a moment, till William let out a sigh. He then chuckled and said. "Murder Husbands."


	2. Will Graham

I stood there, watching Hannibal, undress his shirt as he disappeared around a corner adjacent to the living room. I had no attention on following him, however, I could hear his voice calling for me and nervously I followed the drip trail of blood and water. I was amazed he was still standing. He limped his way around another corner, hand on his side, and I followed through the dark red wine hall way. I met him in the rather large bathroom, with a beige ceramic floor and wall tile that took up half the wall. Above the wall tile was smooth gray crawling up and covering the ceiling. The double sink vanity that stood just to the left of the door was also beige, along with a beige wall tub that had a built in spa. The shower was even bigger standing across the room from the tub. It had a large glass icecaps block sliding door. And finally a white wall mounted ceramic round bowl toilet at the far wall.

I turned my attention back to Hannibal who had taken a first aid kid out from I wasn't sure where since I had been admiring his bathroom. Well, what was supposed to be our bathroom. I eyed his back, since it was turned towards me as he dug through the kit. I hadn't realized as I devoured his skin; every mound of muscle, and every curve in his back, and the horrid brand of Mason Verger with my eyes till he turned to face me, and I jumped in a panic. He pretended not to notice, and told me to sit on the vanity. I looked at him confused as he held a curved needle tied with silk thread in his hand. I looked in the kit and saw that he had pulled out gauze, isopropyl alcohol, tiny scissors, and a bandage. He put down the needle and walked over to the far wall behind the shower. I couldn't see what he was doing, but a moment later he came back with a dark towel and a dark hand towel. He put the larger towel down and he wet the hand towel under the sink.

"Sit." he said again, turning back to me.

"Shouldn't you be getting patched up first Hannibal? My face is cut, but you have a bullet wound in your side."

"You have more than a cut Will."

"I can handle myself." I said annoyed and took the hand towel from him. "You sit."

Hannibal looked at me, and I was unable to read his face. I didn't like that. I could usually quite easily read the faces of people, not that I liked to look at them, but when it came to Hannibal, it was rather hard to tell what he was really thinking most of the time and it bothered me.

He must have been just as exhausted as he looked because he gave in and hoisted himself on the vanity with great effort. He leaned back and I reached out to clean the wound that was hardly bleeding anymore, perhaps because of the salt water we bathed in. It would have cleaned our wounds real well too. Still, even though the bullet was small, the damage it could do was great, tearing through skin and muscle. He had lost a lot of blood.

"I have no idea how you are alive." I told him honestly.

"I am a hard bastard to kill."

I found myself giving a little amused smile and I chuckled a bit. He looked at me warmly and I kept my eyes on his wound. Taking the hot hand towel, I dabbed around the hole in his stomach, cleaning it of blood that dripped down and stained his pants. Several times I had to rewash the rag, but once I got most of the blood to stop I placed it in the sink and grabbed the gauze and the alcohol. After drenching the gauze, I looked up at Hannibal, feeling a little guilty for what had happened, but I quickly kicked it aside and looked back down. "It will sting." I warned him, and he just smiled at me. I was sure he had already known that.

I put the gauze up to his wound, and before I could dab it, Hannibal starting leaning to the side. His eyes were hardly open as he fell from the vanity, and I reached my arms out in a panic, trying to catch him. I gripped onto his waist, dropping to my knees as we both fell. He mumbled quietly for a moment, but I couldn't understand what he was trying to say.

"It's okay. It's okay. I got you." I said, not really sure what to say. He leaned on me, his arm wrapped around me neck, chin resting on my shoulder for a moment till his face slid down to rest on my chest. He felt hot, breath coming out heavy. I struggled to my knees, and Hannibal tried to help, but he was so weak.

I carried him almost having his full weight leaning into me as he struggled to help me carry him to his room where he directed me and I lied him across the bed. Rushing back to the bathroom, I grabbed all the things I would need, shoving them back into the first aid kit and I sprinted back to the bedroom, trying to remember how to get there. Once I came in, I lied the blanket down on the bed, and opened the first aid kit, laying all the things out I would need onto it. I moved as quickly as I could sterilizing the needle and pulling the thread through the hole. My hands shook so much, but I needed to calm myself. He was hardly breathing now, and still he looked at me with warm eyes, trying to reassure me I think. But I could tell he was falling away.

My damn hands just wouldn't stop shaking. I blinked a few times, taking in a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. As I brought my hand over to him, I jumped as his hand collapsed over mine. He held it, giving me a little squeeze and a smile. He felt so cold, and I had only just noticed as he gently shuttered again and again. He needed medication. His eyes fluttered for a moment, before he closed them completely.

I was so conflicted. Have to admit, the first thought I did think was, 'Oh no. Please don't do this.' But it was just a passing thought. Almost immediately following, my mind slipped to darker things. Why not just leave him here? Why not just leave? He would die by morning if nothing was done, and I could escape. Be rid of him. For good.


	3. Leaving

Hannibal

I awoke softly before dawn, my eyes taking their time to adjust to the dim light that hardly shown through the closed curtain of my far window. My body ached, but dully, My mind calm and steady, telling me that a drug was running through my system. My breathing hitched as I tried to turn to my back. I decided it would be better to stay on my stomach for now. I closed my eyes again, and tried to remember what had happened. It came to me slowly, the pictures a blur as if I were seeing a dream long forgotten. It wasn't long before I heard the soft breathing of another in the room, and my eyes opened once more. They darted to the area of where the sound was coming from, and just beside my bed, in a comfy arm chair, sat Will, curled up and fast asleep. Everything then hit me as I remembered the dead body in the yard, the cliff, the fall, and Will. My William, helping me. He was actually helping me.

I felt delighted as I gazed upon Will's beautiful form. Will had every chance to run, even to kill me as I lay passed out. But he didn't. He patched me up and put me to bed. The fact made my heart skip a beat. I suddenly felt a new sense of strength and I struggled to stand. I bit the bottom of my lip as I fought through the pain. What drug William had given me was wearing off, and I could feel every nook in my bone, every crevasse of muscle aching. When I finally sat up in my bed, I scooted myself to the edge where Will was facing me. I scratched at my side, unsure if I should touch him. Will's emotions were always wavering, like a roller coaster. Sure he had helped me the night before, but what about now? Would he regret it? Should I put on a shirt first, maybe that would make him less uncomfortable. Finally, I sighed at myself, then smiled softly at Will.

I stood, making my way to the side of Will and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on his temple. Will didn't stir, but the slightest hint of a smile spread across his face.

Will

When I woke, my eyes shot open, anxiously wanting to see the state Hannibal was in. I felt a surge of panic as I saw that Hannibal's bed was unoccupied. I leaned forward and looked around the room, but saw no one. Did Hannibal leave me?

No! He wouldn't!

I stood and rushed out the door, yelling for Hannibal as I flew down the stairs, ignoring the aches in my back.

"I'm in the kitchen Will!" Hannibal shouted back. I stopped and calmed myself. I now felt rather embarrassed for yelling for him. I must have sounded like a lost child, yelling for his father. I straightened my shirt, and swept a hand through my curls. When I had collected myself, I walked into the kitchen to see Hannibal dressed to perfection. Even if he was only wearing jeans and a red wine sweatshirt, sleeves pulled up to his elbows, and a 'Kiss the Cook' apron tied around his waist. His hair had been combed but not groomed back like it usually was, and his bangs swept off and fell over his left eye. I didn't want to admit it, but I always liked it when that happened. It was cute. I couldn't help the blush that spread across my cheeks and I looked away from Hannibal.

"Good morning Will." said Hannibal with a smile.

"Good morning."

I must have looked off or fidgety because he looked at me rather concerned for a moment.

"What is the matter?" asked Hannibal.

"Nothing." I said, and I forced myself to look at Hannibal. "How are you feeling?"

"I am well. Thanks to you." said Hannibal softly.

"Well, I just couldn't let you die and all that."

Hannibal gave a little chuckle and turned to his food. "Well, thank you for that."

I turned and headed for the bathroom. I needed to talk, but I needed to pee even more. When I was done freshening up, I came into the kitchen, but Hannibal was no longer there.

"In the dining room!" called Hannibal and I followed his voice. The dining table was set with piles of food. My mouth began to water as I saw stacks of waffles, bacon, sausages and scrambled eggs, a bowl of berries, a bowl of fruit, and an assortment of syrups. A pitcher of cold milk and orange juice stood next to the bowl of berries. "Sit Will." and Hannibal held a chair out for me. I smiled at him and sat down as Hannibal pushed my chair in. Hannibal couldn't help a little yelp that escaped him, and I looked up at him in a panic.

"You alright?"

"Yes. I am fine." Hannibal moved over to his chair and sat. "You may go first."

"There is so much to choose from." I stated, clearly seeing that Hannibal was embarrassed about his little yelp. In the end, I chose a waffle, with strawberries, and I poured blueberry syrup all over it. I then took a scoop of scrambled eggs, several slices of bacon and a large sausage. After some thought, I decided on grabbing a banana to go with it. I was so hungry that unconsciously I made little growling noises as I ate, and Hannibal watched with a smile, slowly eating a few bites of his breakfast here and there.

"This is all so good Hannibal. Thank you. I was starving."

"Of course. Only the best for you. And I promise, none of it is drugged this time."

I stopped eating mid chew, and looked down at my food. In truth, I hadn't even thought about that, which I should have. Hannibal chuckled and took a bite of a strawberry. I smiled nervously and continued to eat. Again I was taken over by quality of the food, and he began to growl, without even realizing it. I bit into the banana then took a bite of waffle, stuffing my face.

"Don't eat to fast Will. You will feel sick." warned Hannibal.

"I am fine with that." I said, but after a moment, I slowed my eating, and began to sip on my orange juice.

"You sound like a kitten growling at anyone that comes near while he eats."

"I felt my face become hot and I looked away from him.

When I was done with my food, I sat back and leaned against the chair, my stomach stretched out. I took in deep breaths, all the while, Hannibal was doing his best to hide the smile on his face. He stood, taking up his and my plate, and for the next ten minute, we both cleared the table, put left overs away and washed the dishes.

"Hey Hannibal. Should we leave? I mean, won't Jack come looking for us here?"

"Undoubtedly, however, I would say we have until tonight before we really start risking anything."

"How come?"

"Never mind you that. I suggest we start packing."

I looked around for a minute, taking everything in as though I didn't want to forget. "To be honest, I quite like this place."

"Yes."

"You picked a wonderful place."

We both were silent as we stared into each other. It was Hannibal who broke it, and he looked down, offering half hearted smile before turning to the food that was all packed and ready to put in the cooler. I stared at him a little longer, losing my for a moment as I thought of this beautiful place.

"Do we have to leave America?" I asked.

"We don't have to. Where else would you like to go?"

"I would like to stay in Virginia. But we can't."

"Sadly no."

"I would like to grab some stuff from my house, but I am sure it will be surrounded."

"Most likely."

I nodded sadly.

"We will find a better place Will. I promise."

I helped him pack for the next half hour, and we took everything to the police car.

"We need to lay low. I will use one of my aliases and book us a hotel. I have a feeling the nearest airports wont be so easy to go through right now."

"Probably not." I agreed. Hannibal turned to me and locked our eyes together, intimidating me a little, but Hannibal wouldn't let me look away this time.  
"Now Will. This is quite the big step. You know I will not force you to come with me. You would make me extremely happy if you did, but you do not have to if you do not want to."

I shrugged. "I don't see any choice. I seem to be drawn to you. If I don't know where you are or what you are doing I will wonder, and keep wondering. My thoughts are always so clouded when you are away and when I see you they are more clear than ever. I seem to only truly know my self when I am with you."

Hannibal smiled at me and flicked his tongue. "You don't know how happy that makes my feel William. As long as you are happy with your decision to stay that is."

"Yeah, I think I can learn to enjoy it." I said with a teasing smile.

Hannibal laughed and closed the trunk of the car. "Ready to go?"

"Yep."

Hannibal walked around the car, holding the door open for me, and I'm sure my face turned a bright red as he made his way to the passenger side and I gave Hannibal a thank you smile and dipped inside. It felt odd running away with Hannibal, but at the same time it felt like there was no other place for me to be but by his side.


	4. Lovers

Hannibal

We had spent the last six and a half hours driving, and Will had slept through most of it as I drove, the radio playing soft music. When it was time for me to wake Will, we were in West Chester Pennsylvania at a Bed and Breakfast. Will woke harshly, jumping into the sitting position with a sharp breath. His head jerked in all direction, trying to find any source of danger. I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Will jerked away, but when he saw me, his panic began to fade and he caught his breath. He wiped at his sweaty forehead with his sleeve and asked where we were.

"We are at Faunbrook Bed and Breakfast in Pennsylvania. I hear it is real cozy."

"Sounds wonderful." He said without an ounce of interest. Will opened the door and left me in thought for a moment. I was pondering Will's state of mind. He did had a restless sleep in the car, dreaming terrible dreams no doubt. I wished I could take the bad dreams away, but I also didn't think Will would forgive me if I messed with his mind again. No, I had to leave it. His nightmares would go away with time. Hopefully.

We entered inside the Bed and Breakfast and I signed us in at the clerk's desk as Mr. Dublin, and Mr. Barker, paid in cash and insisted on bringing the bags up myself. I picked up my suit case, and Will's and lead him to the elevator. When we got to our room, which was on the third floor, Will unlocked the door with our room key and held the door for me to come through. The room was painted a dark rosy red with two windows facing out to the garden. There was a vanity, a child's rocking chair, and a wardrobe. A chair sat in the corner facing the double bed that had white covers and five pillows.

"You got a double?" asked Will uncomfortably.

"It's all they had left."

"If I didn't know any better Hannibal, I would say this place is a perfect place for lovers to elope."

"Oh?" I asked with a blush, fighting a smile that was creeping on my face.

Will shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"I of course will have the floor." I said with a smile.

"That's fine." said Will, and the lack of concern made me a little upset.

"Well, I will get unpacking. Why don't you lay and rest for a bit."

"I can unpack my own things." stated Will defensively.

l smiled at him. All of Will's things were my things. All the clothes he could find that fit the best, which not many did. Will smiled back and nodded. "Think I can sit for a minute actually." Who was Will kidding. As soon as he sat, he felt the need to lay back against the head board, and he did so. As soon as he did so, he fell asleep watching me unload the bags through the small slits of his eye lids till they closed completely.

It was completely dark when he woke to the smell of pizza, and his stomach growled.

"Pizza?" he asked dozily.

"Yes. I called take out." I answered with a smile and I placed two slices of meat lovers on to a paper plate, handing it to Will as he sat up. Will looked around and noticed that he had been tucked in, his glasses now sitting on the night stand and he blushed for a moment.

"What time is it?"

"Almost ten. You slept for only a few hours."

"I didn't know you cared for pizza."

That amused me. "Oh please William. I may have a sophisticated pallet, but no one can be so refined as to dislike these incredibly greasy pies; and if one does say they are too refined for pizza, well they are clearly insane."

The statement made Will laugh as he placed his glasses back on.

"What is so funny?" I had asked with a raised brow.

"Your accent."

"What about my accent?" I asked quite curiously cocking my head to the side.

"Nothing."

"No. I want to know."

Will smiled down at his plate and chuckled. "It just makes everything you say sound so . . . um." Will about coughed up a lung, his cheeks turning bright red as he processed just what he was about to say. "Nothing." he said again.

"I want to know." I demanded, feeling suddenly quite insecure.

Will's face turned a bright red and he looked away ". . . silly. You sound silly."

"Silly?" I contemplated this for a moment. "Well, I had no idea I sounded so silly." I laughed softly.

"You do." said Will quietly.

"Well, I am happy I can amuse you."

Will burst with laughter which had taken me back. I smiled warmly at Will and grabbed my plate of pizza, sitting down onto the chair in the corner of the room. I took in a deep breath before exhaling and I brought up the pizza to my mouth. I chewed slow, as I didn't order pizza very often, but it only made me enjoy it that much more when I did. I smiled and closed my eyes as the toppings slid down my throat.

Will

I had not noticed that I was watching him, being lost in his facial expressions. It was almost exotic, the way he ate like that. Hannibal always enjoyed his food, taking his time to taste every little flavor that it had to offer.

I looked down at my plate and thought about the hustle and bustle of every day life. Of how everyone just seemed to be in a hurry, ordering out and cramming food in to their faces as quickly as they could, just to save time. Time didn't seem to bother Hannibal. He preferred to take his time on things. Never rushing, and everything was done with passion. I had to admit that that was a quality I admired in Hannibal.

"Are you going to eat Will?" asked Hannibal, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh yes." I took a bite of pizza and quickly chewed. I only realized how hungry I really was after it slid down into my abyss of a stomach. I began to shovel the pizza in, taking big bites and chewing quickly.

"Slow down Will. You will hurt yourself. Or worse. Hiccups."

I felt his cheeks become hot again and I swallowed my bite, and coughed. Hannibal stood, pouring me a cup of water. I took it with a thankful nod and drank it heavily. After I put the cup down, I picked up my slice of pizza and began to nibble on it, remembering the conversation I just had with myself about enjoying my food. Hannibal took his seat and resumed eating.

"Where are we going after this?" I asked.

"I think we should head towards Vermont."

"Vermont? Why?"

"It's a beautiful place."

"Any where in particular?"

"Woodstock is lovely. Especially during the fall."

"Shouldn't we be going more west? Away from around here."

"Yeah, probably." Hannibal stared out the window, only able to see the top of the garden fence, lit up by the street lamp. I watched at Hannibal's far off look, his thoughts running hundreds of miles away from him and I felt a haunting chill run up my spine which made me shake for a moment.

"Are you alright?" asked Will.

"Hmm? I'm fine . . . Perhaps we should go more westward. I am not sure."

"Woodstock should be fine." I said confidently and I took the last bite of my pizza. HI then stood and grabbed a few more pieces, then sat back down at the end of the bed. I thought for a moment and Hannibal waited patiently for me to gather my words together.

"There is a lot of woods in Woodstock. Suppose we can get something there hidden from the world."

"We could always go to my homeland and live in my castle."

I pondered this for a moment. "I don't think I would want to go back to that place."

"Me neither. But they would never search there. We could live there without anyone ever coming to bother us."

"Wouldn't they look there though?"

"No. Trust me, they wouldn't. It's a forgotten fortress, frozen in time, such as you saw when you arrived there."

"Yes." I thought back to those days being at Hannibal's family home. It made my skin crawl, though I wasn't sure if it was in a bad way. The cool crisp air felt amazing on my hot sweaty skin, and the air about the place made me feel like I himself was lost in time. It felt like a daze. I had changed so much from being there for the little time I had. Or perhaps I didn't. Perhaps it just brought out my real self. The darkness within me that I just couldn't hide anymore. It made me feel angry at it, and mostly angry at Hannibal for bringing it out of me. Sure it was always there, but it was hidden, even to myself till Hannibal unveiled it. I stood and put the plate down on the table and walked into the bathroom. Inside I was met with a marble counter top with a hand painted sink. Looking up into the mirror, I found myself glaring at my reflection. I took the glasses from my face, placing them on the counter top and I started the water to the shower.

Hannibal

I didn't feel much like eating after seeing Will storm off into the bathroom. I knew Will was back to being pissed at me for who knows what reason. Could be plenty. I put the pizza back into the box and got Will's clothes out and placed them onto the bed. Twenty minutes went by when the shower finally turned off. I figured the hot water would be gone by now but I didn't fret about it. Will needed the long shower to calm himself down least that is what I hoped Will was doing.

When Will stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, he refused to look at me, and was about to ask something when he noticed the clothes I had lied out for him on the bed. He grabbed them up and headed back into the bathroom.

Oh God Will. I had fought so hard not to stare, and I was glad Will wouldn't look at me but I was sure he could feel my gaze. My eyes devoured Will's skin, hot and wet from the shower. I relished in the sight of William's mounds of muscle, his lean stomach, and the curve of his back. Oh God I could just eat him up. :P

When Will stepped out of the bathroom once more, he came out in my red fleece plaid pajama pants and buttoned shirt that went with it. He scratched at his chest nervously and then at the back of his neck. "I think I took all the hot water."

"It's alright Will. I will just brush my teeth and change." Hannibal said with a smile and he stood.

"Stop being so polite. I am sure you are upset."

"Well, don't get me wrong, a nice hot shower sounds nice, but you clearly needed it more than I did. Maybe in the morning we can shower together." I teased and and I limped into the bathroom with a pair of golden silk pajamas. I went slow, stripping the clothes off of my body. Every move sent waves of pain from every direction. I kept my mouth clinched shut, trying my best not to make any noise when my side where Will had poorly stitched me up, ripped a little and I let out a yelp. Almost immediately following my little yelp, I heard the rush of feet and Will knocking upon the door.

"Are you okay Hannibal?" he asked.

"I am fine Will." I lied, and Will could probably here the strain in my voice. "I am fine."

"You don't sound fine."

"I am fine Will!" I snapped. I regretted it and swallowed a lump in my throat, and coughed. "I am sorry. I am fine Will. Lay down. I will be out in a moment."

"I'm coming in." said Will, and before I could stop him from walking in on a me, he opened the door. I had manage to get into my pajama bottoms, but struggled to get on my shirt. I paused when I heard the door open and looked at Will feeling I must admit quite embarrassed.

"I told you I am fine. I just turned the wrong way and hurt myself." I struggled to get my arms through the sleeves and Will helped me pull it on. My hands shook as I buttoned up the shirt. Will sighed feeling frustrated and he swatted my hands away, buttoning up the shirt for me. He grabbed my hand, pulling me into the other room and sitting me on the bed.

"You can have the bed. You need it more than I do."

"Will. I am fine. I would feel much better if you were to have it."

"Hannibal, you aren't as young as you used to be. You have a decade on me. Please will you take the bed. I am amazed you've been able to last this long without complaining about the pain."

"I have quite the powerful drugs."

"I know."

I gave him an indulgent smile for a moment before continuing. "I can -"

"No." said Will, cutting him off.

I sighed. "We can share the bed."

"No."

"Well then I don't want it."

Judging by the look on Will's face, he looked as though he might punch a wall, or me. He let out an annoyed growl as he stomped over to the other side of the bed and sat back into the pillow. "I will not get under the covers with you."

"Well of course. That would be unappropriated." I said with a grin. "I would much rather you have the covers though. I can sleep above them."

"Will you stop! Stop being like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like you – just – just stop." Will didn't know how to put it. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

"Like what Will?"

"Like I matter. Like I am worth anything. We are way past that."

"What do you mean Will? Of course you matter." I was astounded at his words.

Will looked away from me, and fell into his mind for several moments, before gathering his words carefully.  
"I don't matter. I've done too many horrible things. No one has ever liked being around me and only do so when they are forced."

"I enjoy being in a room with you Will."

"Well you are just as much an outcast as I am."

"We are one and the same."

"Hannibal. I am so lost."

I thought for a moment before wrapping an arm around Will and bringing him closer to me. "Just go to sleep." I said softly, placing a kiss on his forehead. He felt as though he were burning up. "Let yourself get lost in your dreams. When we find ourselves lost, our dreams show us what we need to see, to help us find our way back."

"My dreams are only ever nightmares." said Will as he rested against me, which surprised me a great deal. Will was letting me touch him like this. I must have felt cool to the touch, which would have felt nice on his hot skin. He seemed to always be overheated.

"Well, perhaps they are trying to tell you something." I suggested.

"I have tried to listen, but I can never think past the horror."

"It's alright Will. You know you can talk to me about them."

"I used to."

"I know you did. I wish we could do that again."

"I don't know. Maybe."

"That is good to hear. Now rest your eyes. I will be right here."

"Not sure if that is comforting." Will laughed.

"Oh? Ouch." I chuckled.

Will smiled and he leaned away from me, laying down onto the bed. He was too hot to be under the covers. I turned my back to him, though I wished to be holding him. I stayed above the blankets and stared into the darkness of the room, only lit by the little moonlight that shone through the first layer of curtains as the second was tied back and we didn't think about closing them.

Will

First, all I could see was darkness. It took a while, but shadows began to form shapes, and finally some sort of silhouettes came out from the dark. As the silhouettes began to become more visible, voices began to whisper around the darkness. Louder and louder they became, and I saw myself falling to my knees. I held my hands over my ears, and began to scream. The silhouettes became clear, coming closer and closer to me, their talking quick and very loud. They were all monsters, monsters with tar black skin, the concave quality of their chests inhuman. Their eyes, cloudy with decay seemed to stare into my very soul. I looked to the ground, telling myself to wake up. I just needed to wake up. Wake up!

"Will. Wake up. Wake up Will. Wake up."

It was coming so silent for a moment, then the voice that was all too familiar to me began to shroud me in warmth. The noise of the monsters began to fade away, and I felt myself falling. What was I falling into?

I woke with a jump, covered in sweat.

"Shhh. Its alright William. It's okay. You're okay. Shhh. It was just a nightmare. You are fine."

Hannibal continued to whisper softly into my ear, reassuring me that I was okay. I could feel Hannibal's arms around me, holding me close from behind as to comfort me. I turned his face over to look at Hannibal and swallowed nervously as I noticed how close Hannibal's lips were to me. Hannibal placed his forehead on mine and began to caress my curly hair, whispering sweetly to me. I brought a hand up and placed it on the back of Hannibal's head, pulling him closer, making my noses touch. Oh Hannibal had saved me from that horrid dream. He pulled me out of it. I had no idea what the dream even meant. Why I dreamt about those particular creatures. At first he thought they were the stag man, but they appeared to be much worse. The faces however, were somewhat familiar, but he could not place them.

My face was flushed, and I trembled in Hannibal's arms. Usually I am sure I would be embarrassed and push him away, but I was so damn tired and still shaky from the dream, so I didn't mind. "I heard your voice and fallowed it."

"I was hoping my voice would reach you." said Hannibal softly. He nuzzled his nose into my hair, and caressed my cheek, careful of the stitches. He whispered again in my ear, trying to reassure me I think. "I am here. Nothing will harm you. I am here. Just close your eyes and everything will be alright. No one can hurt you. I will keep you safe. I promise."

Oh if only that were true, but I hardly believed it. Hannibal himself had hurt me so many times, and I just didn't know what to think.

Hannibal kissed my on his temple and caressed my sweaty hair. "Everything will be alright."

This time I did get quite flustered and refused to look at him.

We lay there for a moment, Hannibal holding me, running his thumb back and forth on my temple. I lay there, catching up to the beat of my heart. Sitting up I started unbuttoning my shirt, feeling like I was inside an oven. I pulled it off and went to stand, but Hannibal grabbed my hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Opening the window. It's so hot in here."

"I will get it." Hannibal jumped from the bed and made his way to the window, ignoring the pain in his side. He needed to be careful not to break the stitches as I had done them so poorly. He opened the windows and faced me.

"Is that better?"

I felt the rush of cool air from the window and smiled. "Yes. Thank you."

Hannibal smiled. "You are welcome." He lied back down and I lied down into the pillow. We faced each other and I began to fade away again. I could see in his eyes that Hannibal wanted to hold me, but thought better of it. He looked away from me and frowned, then he heard the rustling of the comforter and pillow as I came closer to him. I gripped onto Hannibal's shirt and tucked my head under Hannibal's chin. In return, he wrapped an arm around me. His hand slid down my back till he met with my hip. Oh God the feeling was enticing.

Hannibal's fingers gliding steadily over my skin made me tingle in all the right places. I shuttered and Hannibal held me a bit tighter.

"Hannibal." I said, getting his attention. My voice caught in my throat. I gripped onto the collar of Hannibal's pajama shirt and pulled on it a little.

"Yes Will?"

"Um . . . uh. . ."

Hannibal began to make invisible circles on my hip bone with his thumb. I lost my train of thought as my toes curled and my breath hitched in my throat.

Hannibal leaned in to my ear and whispered, "I've got you Will." making me tremble again and I held onto Hannibal's shirt collar even tighter. Hannibal nuzzled into my hair again and kissed my temple, down to my cheek bone.

I was losing himself. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." said Hannibal innocently.

"Bull shit." I laughed nervously. I cleared his throat and forced myself to look into Hannibal's eyes.

"I love you." said Hannibal softly.

"I know."

"Is that all you can say."

I swallowed a lump in my throat. "To love you would be a blood sport."

"Hmmm." Hannibal kissed my temple again and whispered in my ear. "Go to sleep." He lied his head down, but kept his hand right on my hip. After a moment, he brought it up to my face and softly caressed my cheek with his thumb.

"You just gonna make me hard and not do anything about it?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Hannibal smiled and gave a little laugh. "Would you like me to take care of it for you?"

Oh GOD! What was I thinking! I am sure I turned a bright shade of red and and wanted nothing more than to jump out the window head first.

Hannibal's hand moved slowly back down, trespassing every curve along the way to my hip. I caught my breath and closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, Hannibal met my gaze and leaned in closer. He could breath me in at this point, and he slowly rubbed our noses together, and placed a kiss on my cheek. He began to rub at my hip, and a moan escaped my lips. Then that bastard Hannibal began to kiss along my jaw line, and down to my neck, placing soft kiss after soft kiss. I lost all train of thought at this point. I loath to admit it but I wanted Hannibal's hand wrapped around my throbbing manhood, made even more so as Hannibal began to nip and suck at my neck. I could feel Hannibal's tongue licking, his teeth digging in. I brought my hand down on top of Hannibal's and moved it to my crotch. Hannibal leaned away from my neck and looked me in the eyes as he began to kneed my member. Longer and harder it grew with each stroke. I couldn't believe this was happening. Surely I was still dreaming.

"Will." he whispered.

"Yes?" I asked breathlessly.

"Is this really what you want?"

I looked Hannibal in his eyes, his face flushed, eyes lost in lust. "Isn't this what you want?"

"I have wanted this for a long time. I just want to make sure you want this as well."

The sudden stop of Hannibal's motion on my groin made me whimper. He nodded his head. "Yes. I want it. Please. Please don't stop."

Hannibal continued to rub at my crotch and he brought his face down, and kissed my on his lips. The kiss was soft for a moment, and Hannibal requested access to my mouth, to which I granted. Our kiss became deep, but steady as Hannibal ventured my mouth. His hand moved through the seem of my pants and he slipped his hand into my briefs, stroking at my cock. I let out a gasp, and Hannibal let me go so he could breath. His kisses moved down my body and he let go of my aching cock. I was about to cry out from the lack of touch, when Hannibal grabbed my pants and slid them down, dropping them to the floor.

I watched his eyes devour me in the moonlight and it was exhilarating. Hannibal grabbed my cock again and slowly began to stroke me. Placing his lips around the head of my cock, he sucked and licked making little moans fly out of my mouth. He let go of my head and licked up my shaft, making me arch my back. I was lost in the sensation, the idea of Hannibal licking and sucking me making me go crazy. I needed his mouth on me.

Hannibal placed his lips back onto my cock and pressed with his tongue, sliding his mouth farther and farther down and I bucked into his mouth, choking him for a moment. I felt bad, but I also felt a sense of maniacal pleasure. My fingers curled into Hannibal's hair. Hannibal began to bob his head up and down, stroking with his hand as well to create extra friction. Then, just as I thought it couldn't get any better, Hannibal began to hum. The vibrations sent me over the edge, and I pounded into Hannibal's mouth, hitting down his throat, and Hannibal watched my body spasm. His mouth was filled with a warm liquid and he swallowed it down. He wouldn't let my cock out of his mouth till he stroked every bit out and only then did he let my cock slide out of his mouth with a pop and he licked the sides of his mouth where the cum spilled over.

He stood, his own member trying to poke through his silk pants. He looked down at me, my face flushed, my breathing coming out heavy. I didn't want him to look at me. Hannibal had me at his most vulnerable. Oh and he liked it.

"My turn?" I asked. I wasn't sure how to feel about it. I never thought in my life he would be sucking another mans cock. I think Hannibal could see I was uncomfortable and he got back into bed, laying beside me.

"It is fine. I enjoyed making you cum."

"Well, you are hard as a rock. I can see that even in this shitty lighting."

"I think the moonlight makes you look beautiful."

"Oh?" I laughed nervously.

"But if it's extra light you want." Hannibal leaned over me and turned on the bed side lamp. "There we go. Now I can see you much better," he said with a smile.

I looked at him, and asked. "Did you swallow?"

"Yes. You taste amazing."

"Not sure how to take that from a cannibal."

Hannibal laughed and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Good night Darling."

"Wait." I said in a panic. "Let me help you get off."

"You really don't have to Will."

"I know. I want to."

"Do you?" asked Hannibal skeptical.

I thought about it and nodded.

Hannibal leaned over me, kissing my lips as his hands roamed over my body again. I began to unbutton Hannibal's shirt with shaky hands. I was so nervous.

I helped Hannibal slide the shirt from his arms and he tossed it to the ground. I then gently pushed him to his back as I worked on getting his pants off of him. Hannibal arched his back up and helped me pull his pants off. I watched as Hannibal's cock bounced out of his underwear. It was of medium length, but thick. I got onto my knees on the floor and placed myself between Hannibal's knees and gripped onto his member. I stroked it up and down a few times before putting it into my mouth. I wasn't sure how well I would do. I had never done this before, but by Hannibal's moaning, I figured I was doing okay.

Hannibal slid his fingers through my curls and helped me get a rhythm. I imagined Hannibal cumming into my mouth, and I was pretty sure I wasn't ready for that. Then as if he had read my thoughts, Hannibal pulled me away from his cock, leaving it soaking wet, and he brought me onto the bed again. He lied me onto my back and kissed me passionately. His kisses trailed down my cheek and to my ear where he whispered. "Can I make love to you?"

I did not speak, but slowly nodded. Hannibal brought my knees up and he gripped onto his cock, giving it a strong couple strokes before placing it between my ass cheeks. He leaned down, giving me little butterfly kisses as he whispered reassuring things in my ears. Hannibal then slowly slid his cock inside, just touching my hole. "It's okay. You are so beautiful Will. You feel so wonderful. God I need you. I want to show you how much you mean to me Will. I want to see you cum again and again. Are you ready?"

Again, I said nothing, but nodded my head. Hannibal locked eyes with me as he entered inside me. My mouth fell open, a sharp breath followed by a load groan. Hannibal wouldn't look away as he slowly went deeper inside me. Finally, when he could go no further, he slowly slid back out. I moaned as our body became one again and again. Hannibal let go of my gaze and began to kiss me again. He steadily made a rhythm, as I moved to meet each thrust. Our bodies were glued together, hands tangled above my head as Hannibal kept kissing and whispering sweet nothings into my ear. I could see in his eyes how much he needed this, and how close he was.

He let out little cries as the sensation became too hard to bare. I could somehow sense his stress and urged him to go faster. Hannibal obliged and he thrust in faster, stroking my prostate and I let out a cry. Hannibal smiled and hit in the same spot again and again. I could feel my cock between his stomach and mine and it only turned me on more. I wanted to be as close as possible to him.

"Oh God William. Will. Oh I'm going to cum. Can cum inside you?"

"Yes." I said breathlessly.

"I love you Will. I don't want this moment to end. I love the feeling of being inside you. I love you."

"I love you too Hannibal."

That was it for Hannibal. His body quivered as he came inside me, pushing harder and harder with each thrust. He ground his hips inside my ass, unloading everything inside me. He yelled my name as the sensation took him away to pure bliss. I followed just moments after, my cum exploding all over our stomachs and chests.

Hannibal relaxed his body, leaning his head into the nook of my neck. He was covered in sweat, as well as I was. I could tell that he didn't want to slide out just yet. He wanted to stay inside me, but unwillingly, he slid out and slumped down next to me.

He turned to me and placed his hand onto my cheek, turning my face to look at him. He smiled and kissed me. "So you finally admit it then." said Hannibal.

"Shut up. I'll take it back."

"Is this black mail?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"That is hardly fair. I would much rather shout it to the roof tops."

"Well, I am pretty sure we already woke the whole BandB as it is."

We both began to share a laugh and Hannibal pulled me into him.

Well, there was no point in fighting it. I snuggled into Hannibal's chest, and even though my head wanted to be swarming with so many things, I shut them out, and fell asleep to the soft breathing and comfortable beat of my lovers heart.


	5. Midnight Special

Hannibal

I awoke to the soft breath of my lover tickling the hair on my chest. I felt exhausted, in every way you could. My head ached, my body throbbed, my eyes heavy, and my mind full, yet as Will nuzzled deeper into me, his hand coming up to rest across my chest and over my shoulder, I could not help the feeling of bliss flooding my very being.

I had no intention of getting up and risk waking my beloved. I wanted nothing more than to stop the hands of time so that we could ride out eternity in each others arms, right here. No other person to bother us, no noise to disrupt Will's quiet breathing, or the silent synchronized beats of our hearts.

I began to imagine ourselves elsewhere however, somewhere with rolling fields, and tall thick mountains for miles. I saw Will standing their in the field blanketed in a low mist, looking at the sun as it rose in the sky, eyes lost in the beauty of the colors of the dark blue high above and tangerine far below, as they seemed to entangle each other like lovers throughout the middle.

Yes, I didn't want to get up. I wanted to be lost in it all. I knew if I were too move, my fantasy would be driven away, and Will would wake from the disturbance to his arrangement on the bed, and if Will woke, what would happen? I had to look at this in a professional point of view. Dammit, it was hard. Thinking what could really happen compared to what I wanted to happen. Would Will give me a good morning kiss and snuggle into me again? Or will he lash out, regretting the event that took place in that very bed that same early morning. Perhaps he would close himself away again, leaving my side feeling embarrassed.

I sighed. There was no use worrying about it. I needed to use the washroom, and Will was bound to wake up at some point. So I made my move, sliding out from under Will, doing my best not to wake him. My head throbbed worse now as I sat up, my muscles aching under my skin. Damn. I could really use with a day in bed. The events that have taken place the last few days had taken it's tole, and making love to Will made my body worse for wear. Even though it was the most wonderful night I had ever had, I am not as young as I used to be, and I just really wanted to take a day.

"Hannibal?" The voice came out faint and worried, and I looked down at Will who was still half a sleep.

"It's alright Will. I am only going to the bathroom. I will come and join you in a moment, unless you wish to use the bathroom first."

"No. It's fine. You can go." said Will, hardly making eye contact with me. He turned over and lied his head back onto the pillow. I rose from the bed and hesitantly made my way into the bathroom. I used the toilet, brushed my teeth, then stepped into the shower. It wasn't until I turned the water on when I heard a knock at the door.

"Hannibal? I need to use the bathroom. Can I come in?" It of course was Will, sounding timid and more unsure.

"Of course."

The door opened and Will walked over to the toilet, doing his best not to look towards my direction, and I pretended as though I didn't notice and began washing my hair. The cum had dried into sticky flakes on my chest and stomach to which I had to scrub rather roughly to get off.

"Do you want to join me Will. I can help scrub you."

Will's breath hitched in his throat. He would most likely hear the hint of the mischievous tone in my voice. "No, I can manage myself." he said flushing the toilet. I let out a yelp as the water became ice for a a moment and Will jumped. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean too. I wasn't even thinking."

"It's okay Will. I will be only another minute."

I listened to the click of the door closing and true to my word, I was out of the shower within the minute, drying myself off with the towel I had used the night before. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I wore only my towel wrapped around my hips. Will hardly made eye contact with me as he walked around me to get inside the bathroom.

I sighed, walking over to my suitcase to grab some clothes.

Will

I took my time in the shower, and as I scrubbed the cum off of him, I thought of our night together. The dream that had pretty much started it all, and which I couldn't even remember. I had told Hannibal I loved him last night. Did I really though, or was it just spree of the moment. Finally, getting tired of being in my own thoughts I think, I stepped out of the shower and got dressed, in some blue jeans and a dark olive t shirt. When I stepped into the main room, I found Hannibal on the bed, leaning back against the pillows he had propped up on the headboard, and he was fast asleep. He had gotten dressed into some dark blue jeans, a white t shirt under a white and red flannel. His hair had been brushed back out of his face, but was now hanging over his eyes as his head drooped onto his chest. I am not sure why, but I smiled. I couldn't recall if he had ever worn flannel before. It looked real nice on him.

Oh Hannibal. He looked so exhausted, made worse by the dark shadows under his eyes. Perhaps he should take a day and just rest. We both could use it. I wanted to sit down but my stomach rumbled. I decided to ignore it for a moment, and I stared at Hannibal a little longer. After several minutes however, my stomach growled again and I decided it was time to get breakfast. I knew the place did a free one, but I had no idea what time it was and I didn't feel much like going down to be around a bunch of strangers. Besides, God knows what was on the news already, and if my picture was put up. Where was Jack Crawford at this very moment? Had he gotten a lead already?

NO! Don't think like that. No way. He was good, but not that good. Even if he had found the house by now, there would be no way for him to track where they were. Right?

I didn't want to risk anything. I picked up the phone the suite provided and called to have food brought up. When it arrived, I opened the door and took the two trays from the young man who had delivered them, not wanting him to come inside. The commotion at the door must had woken Hannibal because when I turned around he was sitting up in bed. He rubbed at his eyes and blinked a few times.

"Oh. I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry." I said apologetically.

"It's fine Will. What do you have there?"

"Breakfast." I said and I handed Hannibal a tray of three pancakes, two sunny side up eggs, two sausages, and two strips of bacon.

"Thank you." said Hannibal whole heartily.

"No problem." I said with a smile and I walked around the bed and sat next to Hannibal with my food. Hannibal looked quite nervous when I sat next to him but I acted as though I hadn't notice. I bet he was wondering how I was feeling. Why I was willingly sitting next to him. Hannibal didn't have to offer or fight with me. The truth was, I wasn't sure myself. Maybe (despite my protests and anxiety, and heterosexuality) I was taking our new found (finally agreed upon) relationship better than he expected. Well, so was I.

"Why don't we watch some television?" Hannibal suggested, probably to break the tension. He picked up the remote from the bedside table and turned on the tv.

"Do we want to watch the news?" I asked.

"We probably should. Just in case."

For ten minutes the news woman with copper hair and bright red lipstick spoke of politics, to which neither of us could care for at the moment. We were too preoccupied on what the news had to say about us, and if they had missed it already. Another five minutes went by as a Ken doll of a man spoke about the up coming weather. It went to commercial and Hannibal turned his attention to his breakfast.

"I wonder if we could have missed it." I said, mostly to myself.

"That. Or it hasn't mentioned anything yet, or Jack is doing his best to keep it away from the public till they get more information. You know how he doesn't like news getting out before he is ready for it."

"Yeah." I was hardly reassured. Perhaps I could just check online later. Like I'd have the time. I didn't have my laptop and even if I did I couldn't use it along with my phone. God, I hadn't even called Molly. She must be so worried.

MOLLY!

I coughed, almost choking on my food before I swallowed it down.

"Will! What is the matter?" asked Hannibal, suddenly wide awake. He rubbed and patted my back till I calmed down.

"I was just thinking about Molly. I just left with out saying goodbye or anything."

"Oh." Hannibal continued to rub my back, but I could hear the strain in his voice.

"It's alright Hannibal. I can just send her a letter or something. Or not. I kinda wish we left some evidence like we died over those cliffs. Then we wouldn't have to worry about anything. Then I wouldn't have to feel so bad for leaving her and Willy."

Hannibal pondered this for a moment, the movement of his hand slowing a bit. Then he quickened the pace again, snapping out of his thoughts. "I was hoping you were going to say that."

"What?"

"I kind of did do the liberty of shredding our clothes we wore the night before and throwing them into the water. I wasn't sure what your grounds for that would be considering Molly, so I didn't tell you."

"So that's why you didn't mind staying on the east side."

"Yes. Of course it is always safer to leave."

"I see."

"Are you angry with me Will? I have no guarantee that Jack will fall for it."

"No. It was good thinking. What did you do to Dollarhide?"

"I left threw him from the cliff. Perhaps we all just killed each other."

"We almost did. What will he think when he finds his body and not ours?"

Hannibal leaned away from me and stood.

"Do you mind if we stay an extra night William? I could use the sleep."

"You know what Hannibal. I was just about to say the same thing."

Hannibal gave me a half hearted smile, slipped out of his jeans and flannel and tucked himself into the covers. I finished my breakfast, still watching the news for another half hour before I passed out, still holding onto my plate. I was only asleep for a few minutes I think when I head a the phone ring to the suite. I got up quickly and answered it, almost dropping my plate.

"Hello Mr. Dublin?"

"Yes?" He couldn't remember which one he was.

"I just wanted to call to let you know you are passed your sign out time."

"Huh yes. Sorry. Could we possibly have one more night?"

"Of course! I will book you for another stay."

"Thanks."

Before the woman on the other end could say more, I hung up the phone and yawned. Walking over to the window, I closed the curtain and it became rather dark in the room. I liked thick curtains that did that. I crawled back into bed and almost instantly fell asleep as my head hit the pillow. Hannibal turned around and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in closer.

When I woke again it was dark outside. Hannibal ruffled the sheets as he crawled back into bed. I wanted to ask what he was doing, but by the cold damp touch of his hand entangling in mine, I knew he had used the bathroom.

"Shhh. Go back to sleep. I am sorry I woke you."

I closed my eyes again and Hannibal leaned his forehead against mine. After a moment, Hannibal rolled to his back and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, to bring me up upon his chest. I could feel Hannibal's chest hair between my fingers, and I wondered when he had taken off his shirt. Perhaps it had gotten too hot. I myself felt hot. I wanted to get up and crack open the window, but I also felt real comfortable despite the heat and the fact I was laying on top of a man. I just wanted to pass out again. My mind was on too many things though. The anxiety of being caught, and mostly, the guilt over leaving Molly and Willy, especially the way that I did. Oh Molly. I mostly missed those nights we would lay in bed together, snuggling and rubbing each other off. I felt my cock twitch a bit at the thought and I smiled.

Hannibal moaned in his sleep, but did not move. I looked up at him, wondering what he was dreaming about. Laying my head back down on Hannibal's chest, I decided I didn't want to sleep just yet. I wanted to fuck.

I slid my hand down Hannibal's body, feeling the soft curls of his happy trail. Hannibal moved his head to the other side, but said nothing. I liked the feeling of Hannibal's happy trial and I decided to make small circles with my thumb for a moment. Hannibal stirred, his legs opening a little, and his grip on me tightened a bit. I then decided to move my hand lower, and I ran it over Hannibal's underwear, feeling the mound of cock beneath it. I began to rub it and felt it grow as Hannibal began to moan. His hips began to move with my hand and I slipped my hand under his underwear.

Hannibal opened his eyes as I rubbed him and he looked down for a moment, then up at the ceiling as his eyes rolled in the back of his head. "Oh God Will." he whispered under his breath.

I brought my hand up and spit into it before bringing it back down to rub Hannibal again. Hannibal move his hand down and wrapped it around my hand making my grip tighter on his cock. Hannibal breathed heavily as I rubbed faster. He turned my face to him and kissed me passionately, only stopping to moan and smile.

"Oh Will. Oh fuck. I'm going to cum."

"Cum Hannibal." Oh God the words that just came out of my mouth. Damn how they tasted good.

Hannibal's body tensed as he came into my hand. His head fell back into the pillow and he smiled. "What was that for?"

"I woke up horny apparently."

"Oh? Well, I better take care of that."

Hannibal rolled on top of me before I could say anything, and began kissing me. He tore off his shirt, then mine, and pulled his pants off, and helped me escape from mine. He lied himself down on top of me, as close as he could without giving me all his weight, and he slid into me. Damn. This was so urgent. I could only imagine Hannibal always taking it slowly. Brushing his hand gently against the woman's skin as he trailed soft kisses along their face. Sort of what he had done to me the night before. But this was ravenous. It wasn't long before he started slamming into me, the sound of his balls slapping hard agains't my ass cheeks. Our foreheads met, our hands tangling together above my head. Hannibal began to nibble on my shoulder for a moment, drawing blood. I gasped and Hannibal licked it clean. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean too." he said as he looked me in the eyes for a moment, slowing his movement.

"It's okay. It's okay. Don't stop. Don't stop." I pleaded and Hannibal kissed my shoulder then leaned his forehead back on mine. After several minutes, I felt himself going over the edge. It didn't take much for me to cum as Hannibal thrust into me like that, hitting me right in the spot again and again, my cock rubbing between our bellies. Hannibal was drowning me in kisses as I came down from my high, and drank it in. I wanted our orgasm to be slow, but fuck it! Hannibal met me right after. He lied his head on my shoulder, and kept going, thrusting in painfully hard as he came over his high, and when he was finally spent, he collapsed. I held him in his arms and caressed the back of his hair.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked Will.

"A bit, but I'm fine."

"I am so sorry Will."

"It's alright. I said I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

Hannibal slowly pulled out of my ass and lied back down on top of me. "Good night Will."

"Good night Hannibal. Good night."

Jack Crawford

I sat silent and alone in my house as the mornings news came on. I watched feeling a rage take over me.

"William Graham and Hannibal Lecter's location is still unknown. Yesterday afternoon, the body of Francis Dolarhyde and two pairs of clothing were found, bloodied, and pulled out of the water. Investigators are unsure what had happened or if the clothing truly belong to the two Murder Husbands, and if they do, where are the owners? Did they die in those waters, or was it an elaborate trick to chase the FBI off their tail? FBI's Special Agent Jack Crawford, the main investigator for the The Chesapeake Ripper aka Hannibal the Cannibal murders and who has himself been personally attacked by said man, had nothing to say about the matter. Will Graham is a thirty four year old male -" A picture of Will came up on the screen. "This picture was given to us by his wife Molly, and she wishes to let everyone know, this is what he looks like and to keep an eye out for him. She says he just disappeared without even a phone call. If you remember right, Will Graham was an ex special agent and was brought onto the Chesapeake Ripper cases as the criminal profiler upon the wishes of Agent Crawford. Under his care, William was put into an -"

I turned of the t.v. I was there, and didn't need to hear about it from a woman that had no idea what the fuck she was talking about. I knew they were alive. Why else would they just find their clothes? They had to be alive and damn me to hell if I didn't catch them. I just wish I knew if Will was taken against his will, or went with Hannibal willingly. Based on what Will had told me in the past, that seemed to be more likely of the two.


	6. Rest Stop

Hannibal

I had both of our bags packed by nine and we decided to leave before check out. We needed to get on the road to catch up on the miles we missed the day before. We could get food on the road.

"Is that everything?" asked Will.

"I believe so." I stated with a smile. He didn't return it.

"Good. Let's go."

"Alright." I picked up my bag and before I could grab Will's, he had reached around me and grabbed it. "I can get it." I stated.

"Well I can too. Stop treating me like a helpless child."

I raised my eye brows with worry. "I was not aware I was. I am sorry Will."

Will looked at me and swallowed a lump in his throat, then looked away with a blush. He then whipped around and headed for the door. Suddenly, we both jumped as the phone rang. Will's phone.

"You have your phone?" I asked surprised.

"Oh, I suppose I do." Will pulled out his phone and read the name.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Bedelia."

"Oh? You should answer it."

"Are you dumb?"

"Answer it." I repeated, walking over to take the phone.

"No!" Will jumped back out of my reach. "Are you stupid! She could tap my phone or something, send Jack right over here!"

"I don't believe Bedelia would do such a thing." was my answer, and I was honest.

"I don't care what you think! You aren't answering my phone! I shouldn't have it in the first place! I had it off but I must have accidentally turned it back on."

"It is Bedelia. We should answer it."

"You know how dangerous and stupid that is?! After all we've done?! After all we have left behind and planned together you are gonna risk throwing it away over her!" Will was furious, and his face flushed as he screamed at me. "I won't let you! I don't know what you had with her, but she is out of the picture now! It's just us!" then he looked down at the carpet. "Just us." he repeated, however, I believe it was mostly for himself as he so he could hear it, and taste it, and roll it over in his mind.

I felt my heart stop for a moment as I saw Will in tears. I was being such an idiot. I couldn't believe I had hurt Will. Again.

Will appeared to be frustrated, though if it was at me or himself I wasn't sure.

"I can't believe I had my phone on me this whole time! I had sworn I had thrown it out. Now I'm crying and I don't even know why!"I don't care what she had meant to you or if you guys fucked or something, but now you are with me and she shouldn't matter to you!" Will gasped at his own words. How selfish they were.

I walked over to Will and slid my hand down his arm, then collapsed it over his hand giving it a gentle squeeze. I then grabbed the phone and crushed it in my hand. I had to be done with Bedelia anyway. Our relationship was getting boring and I would not let anything come between me and Will. I dropped my bag and placed hmy hands on Will's cheeks, pulling him into a kiss. "Let's get going." I said with a soft smile.

Will's face turned even redder and he nodded.

"Good. Let's go." I picked the bag back up and grabbed Will's hand, leading him out of the Band B.

I got the bags into the trunk, then got into the drivers seat. I smiled over to Will. "So, where too."

Will looked at me for a moment, then at the dash board. I watched Will carefully as he contemplated. His eyes were so lost, his nose scrunching up and his brows raised a few times as his mind whipped to different cities and states. Finally he sighed. "I don't know."

"HAHAHA!" I burst with laughter, then smiled sweetly at him. "We will go to where the wind takes us!"

"What?" Will looked flatly at me.

"It's just a random burst of motivation." I grinned. "Smile Will. You frown too much, it's not good for your face or your spirit."

I got onto the road and drove while humming a cheerful tun, Will glaring at me all the while.

"What are you all happy about? We are murderers on the run." he asked.

"Correction. We are murdering lovers on the run to a happier place where we can live in peace away from it all."

Will went wide eyed. "Hannibal." he said softly. "How can you act like all is fine?" he as quite distraught. Then he added, a bit coldly. "Oh right. You're Hannibal."

I looked over at Will for a moment, before sighing. "Will."

Will looked over at me. "Yes Hannibal?"

I turned off the road and parked the car. I locked eyes with Will and smiled ever so sweetly. "My place is by your side. I don't care about anything else. As long as you stay by my side, where ever we go, whatever happens, I will always be happy." I leaned over and wrapped my arms around him. Will was taken back and gasped, his body tensing up. I leaned into his ear and whispered. "I love you Will. I love you more than anything. I adore you. We belong together, and as long as we stay together, I will forever be happy, and I will work everyday to make sure I tend to your happiness. Whatever it takes. You do not need to be worried or afraid. No matter what I will protect you and I will ensure your happiness, if you let me."

Will gripped me tightly, tears flowing down his face. "Hannibal." he choked out, but didn't say more. I leaned back and kissed his forehead and Will smiled at the soft affection. "I love you too Hannibal. I love you."

We traveled for the rest of the day and through the night heading west, stopping only to grab more food and use the restrooms. Will dozed off and on, not having much to do while I drove. After the first nine hours however, we switched places as I looked in WIll's terms like I was about to pass out and Will made me stop. I gave a soft laugh as I thought about it. Will was so adorable when he was trying to be assertive.

Will was chatting on about why I had chosen Telluride Colorado and when Hannibal I didn't answer he looked over and saw that I had already fallen asleep, a small smile on my face.

Will

It was odd how Hannibal just pulled that place out of no where. Surely he had been there before. Maybe he did some research or something when I had been sleeping. Oh well, no sense in worrying about it. It was rather random though. He knew they couldn't go out of country yet till they got fake passports, and our faces should be all over the news by now, so that would be quite difficult to pull off.

I sighed and tried to focus on the road. It was around two o clock in the morning when I decided to pull over into a rest area and take a nap. Before the sun began to lighten up the sky, I woke leaning against Hannibal's shoulder, my hand clutched to his. I leaned away and arched my back, letting out a yelp as my spine cracked harshly. Hannibal jumped at I assume was the noise I had made and looked around.

"Sorry." I apologized.

"No need for sorries William. A good morning kiss would do nicely however." he said, giving me a mischievous smile.

I looked at Hannibal out of the corner of my eye and glared. "No."

Hannibal wrapped his arms around my neck and rubbed his face against my cheek. "Awe Will, you are so cute when you are flustered."

"Shut up. Let me go." I pushed him and Hannibal frowned, then tensed as we both went silent at the sound of Hannibal's bones cracking painfully loud. Hannibal couldn't move for a moment, and I just stared at him, unsure of what to do. Then after another minute, Hannibal let out a long slow breath and relaxed.

"I'm sorry." I said in a panic.

Hannibal smiled at me sheepishly, trying to hide the pain. "It is not your fault Will. I am fine."

"Hmm-mmm." Yeah right. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. When I leaned away, my face felt hot and I am sure it was bright red. "I have to use the bathroom." and without another word I left the car. Hannibal followed me, grabbing onto my hand. I swatted it away, but Hannibal persisted. "We aren't children, we don't need to hold hands to the bathroom!" I hissed under his breath as not to disturb anyone else at the rest stop and put attention on ourselves.

"But I want to hold your hand Will. It feels nice."

I grumbled and entered into the bathroom with Hannibal trailed behind me.

It was Hannibal's turn to drive but he wasn't keen on getting into the car yet. "Let us wait a while Will. The sun is rising. Let's watch it together."

I looked around, and the only other people there were resting in large semi's so no one was up yet. "I'm hungry."

Hannibal opened the trunk to the car and opened the cold box. He pulled out a couple of waters and a box of strawberries. I looked inside the cold box and realized that it was mostly waters and fruit and sandwich stuff. I wasn't up for sandwiches just yet. I wasn't really used to eating breakfast as it was, but I actually woke up hungry for once. I wasn't sure if I was up for strawberries with Hannibal. That would be a romantic gesture and I wasn't in the mood. So instead I picked up a banana, and bit into it, closing the trunk. It felt good going down my throat and into his belly. It settled the acid inside my stomach. Taking a swig of my water, I took another bite and swallowed. I then took another drink and before I took another bite, I looked over at Hannibal who had been staring at me. "What is it?"

Hannibal smiled mischievously and licked his lips. "Just taking in the delicious sight."

My face went red. "What are you talking about?" I was about to take another bite of my banana when I froze, getting what Hannibal was referring to. Perhaps a banana wasn't the best thing to eat.

"Oh Will, you are so overwhelmingly adorable when you make that face."

"Shut up!" I said (well, more like squealed if I'm being honest), throwing the banana.

"Do not litter Will. It is rude."

I narrowed my head, feeling fear creep over me. "It's food, so it's fine."

"It's on the pavement."

"It's fine!"

Hannibal stared at me for a moment then narrowed his eyes. My face snapped up as Hannibal rushed at me, pinning me to the car. "Hannibal! Wh- mmm!"

Hannibal had his lips against mine kissing me strongly. He moved his legs between mine spreading them apart with his knee. Hannibal's hand moved down to my bulge and rubbed at hit. I let go of Hannibal's lips and gasped.

"Hannibal! We are outside!"

"Yes we are William. Your powers of observation are astounding."

"Shut up! Get off!"

"No." said Hannibal, and he leaned into my face, locking our eyes together. "You were quite rude to me Will. I will forgive you this once, and not eat you, however, I am not going to let you go untouched. Prepare for your punishment my love."

I am sure I looked petrified, my face red as a cherry. Hannibal grabbed my shirt, tugging me along and pushing me into the back of the car. Soon enough, he had me screaming with passion. The sensation was overwhelming as Hannibal fucked me, but me wouldn't let me cum. The Bastard! As soon as he could see that I was on the edge, he stopped and began to kiss me till I went down from it. I wanted to kill him. I couldn't take it. Hannibal was so fucking hot, thrusting against me. Inside of me.

"Make me cum dammit!"

"I didn't hear a please."

"PLEASE!" I wailed.

"Well that wasn't hard."

Hannibal quickened his pace and slammed into my ass while jerking my cock at the same time. "Let's cum at the same time." suggested Hannibal.

I nodded. "Okay." I said softly. "You better hurry up, I can't take it anymore."

"It's your punishment." said Hannibal with a wide grin.

"Fucker." I pulled him down into a kiss and as our tongues intertwined, I came, followed immediately by Hannibal. He collapsed on top of me, placing his hands on my chest. It felt nice having holding him like that.

"You got cum all over my shirt." stated Hannibal.

"It's your own damn fault!"

Hannibal chuckled and kissed my jaw line. "So cute."


	7. New Home

Will

Telluride Colorado was more beautiful than I could have hoped. Hannibal had taken us past the town and farther and father out. It confused me as I thought we'd be getting a hotel room or something. I began to wonder what Hannibal was up to as we passed less and less houses. Soon enough there were no houses left to pass. We drove for about another 40 minutes before Hannibal stopped the car. "Ready?" he said with a smile.

"I think so . . . For what exactly?" I asked nervously.

"For our new home."

Hannibal stepped out of the car and walked over to open the door for me. I sat there staring not particularly at the layout of land, but at the glass of the windshield, blurring all behind it. 'This is it' I thought. 'Life with Hannibal.'

I stepped out of the car and looked at the land. I must admit my jaw fell open, my eyes taking in the acres of green grass and pink and purple wildflowers. Far off in the distance, so far that I had to squint to see, there were the dark green of tall trees, and in the middle of the field was a large cottage built of different shades of gray stone. A large pond was made beside it and a large waterwheel filtered the water. Hannibal grabbed my hand and we walked up to the cottage. In the pond swam orange and golden koi fish. The cottage had cute little windows and a rounded wooden door with a brass handle. They stepped inside to a small arrangement of furniture, no tv, but a large chestnut and brass gramophone stood in the far corner. They had a small light brown sofa and a chestnut coffee table. The kitchen was not far off and I could see it clearly from the kitchen. It was dressed with a little dining table and two chairs, looking as if it were handmade quality. They had a classic Heartland ivory stove and a large pizza oven built into the brick wall.

"Right?" said Hannibal, looking at my expression. "Wait till you see the upstairs. And my particular favorite, the bedroom."

I almost looked at Hannibal, but I caught his look in the corner of his eye, and stopped myself and swallowed nervously. Oh gosh that look.

"Where the hell did this all come from?" I asked.

"I made arrangements. Back when we were still in Virginia. Before you came down for breakfast. This elderly couple that had past had given their house to their daughter who didn't want it as she was already married and living in the house of her husband. I got it for a reasonable price. Do you like it. It's got open sky and a field. It's long off from anywhere so we wont be bothered. It'll be our little part of the world."

I felt a smile tugging in my heart, till it got torn away.

"For how long?"

Hannibal was silent for a bit. Then he cupped my face in his hands and smiled at me. "As long as you want it."

I felt a pulsating vein about to burst in my forehead. "Yes, well, I mean before we are caught."

"Don't worry about such things." said Hannibal, waving his hand in the air as if to wave away the suggestion.

"Don't wave so casually!" I hissed. "I mean it Hannibal! We can't just hide away and act like this isn't happening! Act like we aren't on the run! Dammit!" I balled my hands into fists, squeezing my eyes tightly. "Why would you take me to such a beautiful place when we eventually have to leave it! I swear, you are such an ass!" My eyes snapped open and I glared into Hannibal. "This place is like a dream. Like heaven. It's so damn beautiful and one day I'll have to say good bye to it. I know we will and so do you!"

"Well then. Perhaps we should make the best of the time we have here." He looked so warmly at me.

I snickered. "Yeah. Easy for you to say."

Hannibal let out a long breath. "Fine. You want to be stubborn? Focus on the bad that could happen? Our chambers are just over there, last door to the left. You can sulk in there. I on the other hand am going to go get some groceries."

"You are going to town? Really?"

"I will be in disguise."

"No way. What are you gonna do? Wear a fake mustache?"

". . . No. Of course not. Now go get some rest. I'll be back in several hours. Then we can unpack everything."

Hannibal left me, and I think we were both feeling a tad bit irritated at each other. I sighed and sat on the sofa rubbing my face with my hands. Hopefully he wouldn't be long.

Hannibal

When I got to the car, I dug in the trunk for our bags and grabbed one of mine, unzipping it and grabbing out a dark blue cap, a navy blue jacket and dark pair of shades. Feeling a bit conscious about it now, I stuffed the fake mustache into my pocket. I could put it on when I left the area and Will wouldn't see it.

Shopping went extremely well and I headed back to Will. I couldn't help but to wonder what mood he would be in upon my return, and a part of me I must admit was afraid he wouldn't be there; but I breathed a sigh of relief when I had brought the food in and saw that Will was asleep on the sofa. I put the food away, brought in our luggage and set it in the bedroom. Will had to be hungry by now. I stood in front of him, watching his face, appearing to be peaceful, though sweat dripped down his forehead. I knelt in front of him and cupped his cheek, tilting his head to the side. I smiled at him and placed a soft kiss just beside his lips and caressed his cheek with my thumb. Will smelt of hotel soap and salty sweat. He would have to take a shower when he woke. I leaned my forehead on Will's for a moment, before Will's eyes opened just a tiny slit.

I slid the glasses from Will's face and placed them on the coffee table. Will rubbed his eyes and went to sit up but I held him down.

"Rest Will. I will get everything put away and wake you when dinner is ready."

"How did it go in town?" he asked.

"Quite favorably. They have excellent shops here, friendly folks. It's quite ideal. There are a few Cafe's and Bar's I would like to visit tomorrow."

"You are fine with going out so soon?"

I smiled. "You're right. We will wait."

There was silents for a minute and suddenly Will smiled, and even began to laugh. "You really wore a fake mustache."

"Huh? Oh!" I pulled off the fake mustache and blushed in embarrassment. I had meant to pull it off before Will had seen it, but had forgotten.

Will couldn't help laughing.

"Go to sleep." I said, standing back up.

"No. I'm awake now." Will stood, picked up his glasses and followed me into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter as I rolled up my sleeves and slipped into my apron.

"I don't think I've seen that one." asked Will, blushing a bit.

"Like it?" I asked with a mischievous smile.

"Kiss the Cook. Not really original."

I closed the distance between us, but did not touch Will. All so, Will felt like he was, and he looked away from me nervously, pushing himself as close to the counter as possible. I recalled a memory when this had happened before. We were in my office, and I had backed him into the rolling ladder of my book case and he let out a long heavy breath. He was still as nervous around me as he was then.

I reached around him, and grabbed a bottle of red wine, then turned away from him. I poured Will a drink and handed it to him, then poured one for myself. I swirled the dark liquid around the glass and brought it up to my nose. Will watched me began my ritual, entranced by the way I closed my eyes, breathed in so carefully; and when my eyes opened again, they were unfocused, lost in the scents that my wonderful nose could pick up. I was about to take a sip, when something flashed in my eyes and I placed the glass down. I gave Will a smile and left the kitchen. Will watched me enter the living room and in the far corner just outside of Will's sight, I am sure he could hear me fiddling with something and suddenly, music began to play.

When I walked back into the kitchen, Will was laughing in amusement.

"There now. We can start dinner."

"Had to get in the right mood then?"

"Of course." I said quite seriously, then smiled. Will took a sip of his wine and watched me get to work.

"What's for dinner?"

"Beef Stew."

" . . . That's it?" asked Will, as if waiting for something more complicated. "No long fancy feast that I can't pronounce?"

I laughed. "No my dear Will. It is our first night in this lovely cottage, and we both are quite tuckered out. I think a nice, simple, home hearty meal would be just perfect."

Will smiled. "I think that sounds great."

All went well that night. The food was amazing and just what Will needed. After cleaning up, Will sat on the couch, his stomach full and warm. "We need a tv." he stated.

"I can see about getting one by the end of the week."

"What do we do till then?"

"Suppose we'll have to talk to each other."

"Oh heavens."

I burst with laughter. "Well, there is something else we could do that is much more fun."

Will laughed nervously and stood up. "Well, I think I am ready for bed now."

"Alright." I said with a smile. "Have a good sleep."

"You aren't coming?" asked Will, turning to face me.

"I would like to, but I think I will stay up a little while longer."

Will stood there a few moments in silents.

"Hannibal. I've been meaning to ask you about the house and -"

"Don't worry about it. I have everything under control. You don't need to ever worry. Go to bed."

Will scoffed. "Fine mother."

I couldn't help a chuckle, my sharp fangs peeking through my thin lips. Will looked at me for a minute, his face a shade of deep red as his eyes became unfocused.

"Come to bed with me."

I looked up at him with surprise, then smiled. "Alright."

I followed Will to bed. "Are these fresh covers?" asked Will.

"Their daughter was kind enough to change the sheets. I told her we had lost all our things in a fire, so that is why she also left the furniture here free of charge."

"How kind."

"Here are some pajamas."

I went to the dresser and pulled open a drawer and pulled out a pair of blue cotton pajamas and handed them over to Will. Will smiled for a moment. "I don't think I've worn decent pajamas since we ran away together. Now I'm wearing them every night."

I tilted my head in wonder, but then decided not to ask. Perhaps he slept in the nude or with only underwear or something. Of course, I wouldn't mind that now.

"Sleep in whatever makes you comfortable."

"I just usually sleep in a t shirt. I get really hot at night and sweat from my nightmares."

"As you have done these nights with me, however, you have been able to ease them a little."

"Thanks to you I'm sure. Oddly enough."

We both changed and climbed into bed. Will looked at me with a silly expression. "Well, um. Good night."

"Good night Will." I said, and I leaned over to Will, kissing him sweetly before turning to my side and closing my eyes. Will sat there for a moment, taking in a deep breath. Alright then. When he finally lied down, he pulled the covers up to his nose and closed his eyes. I listened to Will's breathing, and when it steadily slowed, and I knew Will had fallen asleep; I turned over and kissed his cheek. I wrapped an arm around him and nuzzled my nose into his curly hair and breathed him in. I am not sure when I had fallen asleep, but I am sure I was smiling.


	8. Chloe

Hannibal

And so life went on for both of us. Weeks past without any trouble, and even though I seemed, (as Will would put it) pretty chill about the whole situation, Will couldn't bring himself not to worry. He tried to hide it, but some nights it came out in bitter expression and snappy sentences. When this happened, I gave Will his space. I'd either go into the kitchen and take several hours making a unique and difficult dish that would put Will out of his mood rather quickly, or I would take a book onto the porch and read. I didn't much care for the few books left by the previous diseased owners, but I hadn't been able to convince Will to go out to town with me and enjoy the local cafe's and bookshops. Will enjoyed being out in the field or watching nonsense cartoons on our new tv. He craved to go out and fish. Fishing always brought him piece, however, we hadn't had the time to get any fishing gear. It just didn't seem like top priority at the moment.

Right now, I was pulling up into the driveway. I went to town three to four times a week to get books, or food. When I pulled up, I could see Will looking through the window to peeked outside, watching me dig in the trunk of our car. For a while, Will had been afraid that they would be caught by their car as it was reported as stolen. It helped however that I had painted the car to a light beige, so it wasn't as easily spotted. I had gotten a lot done in the little time we had been there. Will was hardly pulling his weight. He just felt stuck. Something was tugging at his mind and it took so much energy to keep it away. After hours of feelings sorry for himself, he would feel guilty for it and get angry, so then he wouldn't want to be around me cause he wouldn't want to take his anger out on me.

Will came out to greet me outside. When he stepped out he saw that I was carrying a shiny blue fishing pole and a dark red one in one hand, resting over my shoulder, while the other hand carried a black and red tackle bag. Will smiled ear to ear, his heart racing. I smiled back at him. "I thought this would make you happy."

Will frowned and looked down for a moment. When I was standing in front of him, Will looked up again with the look of shame. "I'm sorry."

I smiled at him and leaned down to kiss his forehead. Stepping around him, I walked into the house and placed all the fishing stuff at the side of the door.

"Where did you even get this stuff?" asked Will.

"Well, I was on my way to get a coffee and drove by a yard sale. Everything looked brand new so I figured it would be alright being used."

"No, it's fine. How are we on money?"

"Are you sure you don't mind it being used?"

"Yes. It's fine. It's really great Hannibal. Thank you. I really appreciate it." Will smiled at me, and picked up the blue fishing pole, admiring the sheen when the color hit the light from the window. "They look brand new."

"Yes. I believe they hardly used them."

"Well, good for us."

"We should go tomorrow."

"I would love that."

For the next month, I were able to keep Will's mind busy. I read to him, we played chess, and we fished for many hours in the day. At night we lay cuddled into each others arms, Will losing himself in my kisses. On nights they we didn't make love, I would stay up telling Will tales of ancient history and fables from my child hood, or reading from one of the many books we now possessed. It seemed almost like a dream that Will wanted to lose himself in, but he still couldn't get himself to give in. It all just seemed too easy.

Six months had passed since we moved into our little cottage. Our disappearance/possible suicide had faded from the News as more interesting things came up. Will sometime wondered what Jack was up to. Had he given up? Had he believed they were dead? The ocean floor had been swept for fifty miles and no bodies were found. Whatever the case, Will knew he needed to stop worrying so much. It was taking it's toll on his body. Fishing had helped for a while, but it didn't seem to help very much anymore.

I looked over my newspaper to meet Will's gaze and said. "I think we need a puppy."

Will smiled. "Where did that come from?"

"Come on. Let's go get a puppy."

Will smiled and stood up, his heart getting all giddy, though he did his best to hide it. He could never hide it from me though. I knew him to well.

We got into the car and I drove us into town. Will was surprised to see me stop in front of a cream colored house and smiled at Will. "Let's go."

"What is this?"

"This woman is selling her Australian shepherd puppies."

"How did you know that?"

"The newspaper."

"Oh. Right." They got out of the car and I took the lead and walked up the steps to the house knocking on the door and waited.

"Coming!" came a masculine voice on the other side of the door. A young man opened the door. He had sandy blond hair and a goat-ee. He had dark brown eyes that welcomed them kindly. "Hello. You here for the puppies?"

"Yep. My name is Marcus Dublin and this is my fiance Benjamin Barker."

The man stepped aside to let us in. "Welcome. My name is Carl." he said with a sweet smile. We stepped inside and I immediately took in the smell of lavender and dog shampoo. They were lead out of the house and into the back yard where a young woman was holding a little infant girl in her arms as she sat in the grass. The baby was tugging at one end of a yellow rope as one of the puppies yanked on the other end. The baby let go and laughed as the puppy fell back and bounced back up again, trying to hand her the rope. The young woman grabbed the rope this time and tugged while the baby attempted to grab at the middle of it.

"Hon. We have two men here inquiring about the puppies."

"Oh?" said the woman looking up at the three men. She stood with the baby and walked over to us, shaking our hands. "My name is Gracy."

"Marcus. This is my fiancee Benjamin."

"How lovely."

"And who is this adorable little one?" I asked, looking at the baby.

"Oh. This is my daughter McKinley."

"How old is she?" asked Will."

"Nine months."

"She is presious." I stated with a smile.

"Awe. Thank you have any children?"

"No unfortunately."

"The puppies?" asked Will, wanting to get off the subject of children.

"Of course."

The couple brought us over to see the puppies. There were four. One was still chewing on the yellow rope while the other three were chasing the mom around the yard.

"How old are they?" asked Will, though he was sure he already knew.

"Six weeks. Two have already been sold." answered Carl.

Will looked at the one chewing on the rope and the three chasing the mother. This one seemed independent. It was smaller than her siblings with one crystal blue eye and one amber. Will squatted next to her and patted her head. The dog just continued to chew on the yellow rope. When Will grabbed one end of of the rope and tugged, the dog stood up on all fours and growled, yanking on her end. Will let the rope go and she fell to her rear. Standing up, she went to Wills hand trying to give the rope back. Will took it and tugged again. The dog yanked as hard as she could, her butt high in the air as she pulled. Will let go again and chuckled when the dog pounced at him.

"Did you find the one you want?" I asked.

"Yes." Will picked her up and snuggled her under his chin. The dogs licked him and panted in his arms.

"She is a great pick." smiled Gracy. "She is very sweet and loves to play."

"We'll take her." I told her, and grabbed my wallet from my back pocket. I pulled out a fifty and handed it to her.

"She has had her shots already."

"Excellent."

We walked back to the car and Will got in, keeping the dog on his lap as he put his bet on. I said our thanks and got into the drivers side and started the car. "Benjamin Barker?" asked Will.

"Hmm? Oh yes. Thought I'd name you after my favorite musical serial killer."

"Something is wrong with you."

I burst with laughter. "So, what are you going to name her then?"

Will looked at his new friend, scratching under her chin. "Chloe."

"Chloe?"

"What's wrong with Chloe?"

"Nothing." I shrugged. "I just figured you'd name her Abigail."

There was a silence for a moment. "No. She doesn't look like an Abigail. Did you want me to call her that?"

"No. She doesn't look like an Abigail. Chloe is good."

"Alright then." We bought her a collar, a leash, and everything else we needed and took her home. When we got there, Will let her go to run around the yard, but she just sat next to his feet and looked up at him. Picking her back up, he took her inside to look at the house.

"Welcome to being the new addition to our family." I said, patting Chloe's head.

"Thank you Hannibal. This means a lot."

"My pleasure. I felt like we were missing something. Come to papa." I to the dog and squatted down, opening my arms to her. The dog ran up to me and flopped to her back. I snickered and rubbed her belly. "I'll put everything away." I stood up and grabbed everything I brought in from the car and put it away while Will played with Chloe. After I was done, I put the collar on Chloe and adjusted it to fit right. The dog tag was shaped like a bone with her name in the front. I then stood and kissed Will's temple. Will looked at me and held in a laugh.

"What is it?"

"You told them I was your fiancee."

"Did I?"

"Don't act like that. You know you did."

I smiled.

"Don't you have to ask me first?" stated Will. "We've barely been together."

"Barely?"

"I mean, not very long."

"Hmm. So if I were to ask you to marry me, you would say no?"

"Oh my God, I can not hear this right now. I'm taking Chloe outside."

"You break my heart."

"Lalalala." said Will, picking Chloe up and turning to go outside.

I smiled and was turning around when Will pulled me by my arm and kissed my cheek. Then he ran out, his face bright red.

"I'll start working on dinner." I shouted after him.

"Sounds good."

Jack Crawford

I know they are alive. I know it. I just know it!

That water was swept for 50 miles and they weren't found. I know they are alive. I know it.

I will find them. I know I will. I will find those Bastards! That stupid reporter always blaming me for Will going into the deep end, oh please. It was all him. Deep down, that was who he always was. I didn't need to do anything. Those two sick Fucks had something planned! Oh I know it. They are out on the run. I will find them. They will probably come for me. Some day. But I am ready for them. They've been gone for months, they probably think I've given up. But I haven't. I'll catch them off guard. I'll catch them. I know they are alive and well. I will find them. Then people will see. See that I am right. See that I am not not crazy or paranoid. They couldn't have survived the fall they said. They probably didn't even fall. Everything was clean in that house. Too clean. But they had to have made a get away. There were evidence of two cars being there and only one was found. How can they just dismiss that?! They are weak! They don't want to believe he is still out there. That animal! But I am not. I know he is still out there and I will catch him. I will catch the both of them. If it's that last thing I do!


End file.
